When I asked the Factorback to give me an idea for my first piece/assignment, the first words out of his proverbial mouth (or text in this case) were “do a piece on MJ”.  Now as a self-proclaimed fanatic of 80’s pop, and specifically the King’s work, I felt that there was no way that I could properly describe the experience and phenomenon that was Michael Jackson, and looking at his life’s work and now the fiasco surrounding his death, I don’t think there is a way to comprehend the effect that MJ had not only on the last 25 years, but even now after death.

Now admittingly my prospective on MJ is very limited, especially considering I was born 2 years after the release of “Thriller”, but despite this minor detail, MJ has been and remains one of my favorite pop artists of my lifetime.  The thing that has amazed me more than anything during the last 2 weeks, from his sudden death to the circus that was his memorial service and the subsequent weeks of coverage on how his estate is going to be handled, is the way that people have consciously decided to gloss over the last 15+ years of MJ’s life and have just chosen to exclusively focus on the details of his illustrious musical career.  People have seem to just ignore the fact that over the last decade or so, MJ has not only been one of the most enigmatic and odd figures in pop culture history, but he also has allegedly committed improper sexual acts with children and pretty much alienated himself from the majority of the population.  Despite all of this, people have decided to almost give him a free pass in death.  While I somewhat understand this reaction (it’s always easier to remember people fondly in death then dredge up the gory details) I think that it’s more appropriate to remember all aspects of the King of Pop because to me, despite the uncomfortableness of those parts of his life, it is all those parts (both good and bad) which made Jackson as captivating as he was.  It was the mix of musical genius and eccentric pop figure that not only made him who he was, but created the iconic stature that is given to him.  In the latter years of his life, it was the unconvential and weird aspects of Jackson’s life that drew people to him; even if at times it was like watching a train wreck (i.e during the child molestation trial) people still couldn’t turn away.  Again, remember this is the same King of Pop that truthfully hadn’t made a relevant piece of original pop music since Dangerous (and even that album is questionable).  But despite the lack of new music in almost 18 years, Jackson still managed to find a way to constantly stay in the recesses of people’s pop conscious, whether it be through his constant change of appearance, or to the excess of his life, or to the children he had with a woman that many claimed he never even slept with; regardless of how you feel about MJ and what he did in the years preceding his death, it remains apparent that the man was always able to maintain a part of pop culture.

Now as I sit here writing this piece while listening to MJ’s greatest hits like “Man in the Mirror” and “Billie Jean”, I wonder what his lasting legacy will be in pop culture.  For me, I cannot fathom another pop icon that will have the type of effect that Jackson had in life or even in death.  As of right now, reports are pouring in through every type of media outlet dealing with every aspect of Jackson’s death; from questions of foul play in his death, to the care of his children and division of his estate, I feel like it will be a long time from now before there is any real resolution and end to the MJ coverage.  If there is anything I have learned from watching too much ESPN and ABC, it’s that the media will always find a way to over-saturate us with a story, whether it’s that god-forsaken Brett Favre, or in this case, it’s MJ and his death.  And while all these news stories and reports will obviously turn a lot of people off to MJ and cause them to have a negative image of his life and his death, I challenge people to try to sift through all the crap that is being poured on, and instead embrace it and realize that we have all been witness to possibly the greatest entertainer of a generation, and possibly of all-time.  People will remember MJ however they see fit at this point, but as for me, I will continue to fondly rock out to “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Smooth Criminal” for as long as I can.  So long MJ.

No related posts.